It's December, it's holiday shopping time, and we are STILL dealing with a global pandemic. Locally, Minnesota has seen a bit of a dip in the positive cases over the last few days, but experts say that probably won't last.  We may be in for the worst of it in the next few weeks.

So, you still need to do your holiday shopping, and there are a lot of deals that retailers are offering.  Personally, I think that some of the deals are better than I remember them ever being.  But that brings me to this- how do you avoid the normal holiday shopping crowds and get your shopping done safely?

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The CDC recommends doing most of your shopping online.  This will make it very easy to get your shopping done all in one place and many places are offering free delivery.  The problem is, sometimes it might be tough to keep any of your gifts hidden from the intended  recipient if they live in the same house as you.  Or, if you use Amazon, and have a shared account, anyone can see what you have purchased.  That's not great.

So, onto the next tip- use curbside delivery.  That works well too.  Most retailers will be more than willing to bring your items out to you.  And once you do that a few times, it really is a nice service for their customers.

Another option is to have a plan.  That means no browsing.  Have an idea of what you are buying. Then go into the store, head to that item, pick it out, make the purchase and leave.  Basically just meaning that you are spending as little time as possible in the store.

The CDC has said that they are now tracking some of the spread to big box stores and general shopping. Most places have circles where the check out lanes are for people to stand on, making sure they remain 6 feet apart.  But the issue comes in while shopping around the store.  So, just be mindful of that while doing your holiday shopping.

Happy Holidays!

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